Theories, frameworks & therapies

Acceptance & commitment therapy.

An action-oriented approach that develops psychological flexibility by learning to make space for uncomfortable emotions and sensations, unhook from negative thoughts and take action rooted in your values.

Neurosequential model.

A neurobiological-informed approach that focuses on regulating and integrating each of the four main areas of the brain (brainstem, midbrain, limbic and cortical). It uses a specific sequence of practices so you can move from survival mode (where the 'survival brain' is active and higher brain areas are offline) to growth mode where brain areas responsible for thinking, reasoning and emotional regulation are online. This sequence begins with cultivating safeness in the body through sensory experiences before moving on to regulating your autonomic nervous system through rhythmic activities, then regulating your emotions through relationships, and finally regulating your beliefs and behaviours through reflection and reasoning.

Polyvagal theory.

An embodied approach that focuses on regulating the autonomic nervous system via the vagus nerve. It helps you to understand how each autonomic state (safe-and-social, fight-or-flight and freeze) affects your thoughts, emotions and behaviours.

Compassion-focussed therapy.

This is a neuroscientific and buddhist approach that helps you heal from self-criticism, perfectionism and shame by cultivating compassion​.

Window of freedom.

This is an embodied approach that aims to help you navigate your nervous system from states of hyperarousal and hypoarousal into a state of optimal autonomic arousal where you feel and function your best. When you're in this zone of optimal arousal you can respond to stress effectively and process intense emotions in healthy ways, as well as having the freedom to choose your life-enhancing behaviours rooted in your values, rather than acting automatically or relying on coping strategies which make you feel better in the short term but lead to long term dysregulation.

General unsafety theory of stress.

This is an embodied approach which, rather than focussing on triggers and stressors, focusses on training your brain to more accurately perceive sources of safety in order to switch off the stress response so your mind and body can begin to recover from the negative impact of chronic stress arousal.

Power, threat, meaning framework.

This offers a new perspective on why you might be experiencing distress (including eating and body image distress), confusion and fear, as well as why you turn to health-harming and life-constricting behaviours in order to cope. It helps you explore how power operates in your life, the kinds of threat this power poses and how you've learned to cope with those threats.

Biopsychosocial model.

This is an integrative approach which acknowledges the role of biological (e.g. hormonal, autonomic and neurological), psychological (e.g. thoughts, emotions and behaviours) and social (e.g. economic, cultural beliefs, support network) factors in stress, distress and illness. 

Stress-reaction cyle.

A psychophysiological approach that explores how stressors affects your physiology via the hypothalamus and adrenals which can trigger dysregulating coping strategies (such as overworking, binge eating and excessive social media us), which then generates more physiological stress and greater dysregulation. The aim is to disrupt the stress-reaction cycle by learning coping strategies that will regulate the nervous system.

Intuitive eating.

This is an evidenced-based approach to eating that focuses on reducing overeating, breaking binge-restrict cycles and excessive dieting by making peace with food and reconnecting with the body's natural hunger and fullness signals.

Emotion regulation systems.

This is an evolutionary approach which helps you to get to know which of the five motivational systems are active – drive system, threat system, soothe system, grieve system or play system – and how you can increase activation of the soothe and play systems. 

Spiritual counselling.

This is a spiritual approach which creates space to explore existential and spiritual issues using more esoteric techniques including shadow work, oracle cards and manifestation practices.